It is hard to believe that only a month has passed since last I wrote an update. So much has happened, some of it a little discouraging, but much of it a reminder that God is busy building His church and we are fortunate enough to be a vessel in which He has chosen to carry out His great mission.
First, the bad stuff. Many of you are aware that since moving to Walla Walla in June I was employed at a local custom cabinet shop. Well, due to circumstances beyond my control two weeks ago the owner had to let me go. This was a difficult pill to swallow and because I believe in being as transparent as possible I will admit that I did not process this very well. I spent about three days in a pretty deep funk, but my wife being ever patient and understanding helped me to process everything that was happening internally as well as assure me that we will be okay financially. (She is a wonderful helpmate!) We have spent considerable energy looking for work and at the time of this writing am fairly certain I will be employed by the end of next week! Praise Jesus for that!
However, there was a silver lining in my unemployment. I have had a lot more free time to be busy with church stuff and there is a lot of news to share there. If you follow our church (Community of Grace) on Facebook you perhaps saw the news regarding our partnership with Grounds4Good. We are really excited about this opportunity to help support our ministry here in Walla Walla. I won't bore you will all of the gritty details of what exactly Grounds4Good does or how they operate (though if you want to know more you can go here...http://www.grounds4good.com/about-us), I will tell you though for all of the coffee purchased on our Grounds4Good partner page Community of Grace will receive 50% of the net.
If any of you churches or individuals are interested in ordering and helping support our church plant you can go here to order...http://www.grounds4good.com/communityofgrace. I have had some of their coffee and to be completely honest, I love it and their prices are competitive with the major brands. I would be happy to speak to any of you who have more questions. You can simply email me at my new email address Chris@CommunityofGraceWW.com or feel free to call me at 509-654-8772.
More exciting news! Community of Grace will have its first official regular meeting on Thursday September 20th beginning at 7:00pm. We plan on using a Bible study that many church plants in our fellowship have used with great success. It is called "That Man Called Jesus" and it is a study through the book of John. I want to personally thank Phil and Nathan Bryant as well as Bartley Sawatsky for allowing us to use material that they worked so hard to produce.
Those who are committed to join us for our Bible study include a neighbor couple across the street, the husband of which came to me in a crisis yesterday. We also have my parents who are committed to come. Also there are four others who have shared some interest in joining us. With a group this large we may actually meet on two separate nights. But, the most exciting part of starting our study for me is the inclusion of Edgar and his wife.
Some of you in the Yakima area may already know Edgar he is currently a student of the Bible Institute being hosted by the Sunnyside Grace Brethren Church. Edgar and I shared a coffee for the first time, last night actually. More than coffee we also shared a common vision. A vision of more gospel preaching churches in the city of Walla Walla. Edgar has a desire to perhaps plant a Hispanic GBC church in Walla Walla after he is finished with his time at the Bible Institute. Edgar and his family would like to help launch our church, help in our children's program, shadow us with the plans of launching his own church perhaps a year after we launch.
All of this is new and fresh in our minds so we would ask for prayer as we continue to grow and develop this new relationship in Walla Walla. It is exciting news and once again a reminder that God is way ahead of us and that His plans are greater than ours. In no way did I plan on daughtering a church plant, and a hispanic church plant to boot, so close to the launch of our own church, but perhaps God once again is reminding us that His plans are not our own.
Lastly, Karen and I have committed to community nights on Monday night. We will build them around gathering for watching a football game, but of course we want deeper relationships simply gathering for football and food, but for many you must start with the smallest steps possible. So if you feel like taking a drive come join us on September 10th and every Monday following at our house for some Football, Food and Fellowship. Or you can simply pray that the contacts we make on these evenings will grow into something deeper than cheering for our favorite teams.
Let me take just a little time to catch you up on what is happening with the kids. School still hasn't started yet, but it is just around the corner. Karen took the oldest three shopping for school supplies this morning. Taylor will be in 7th grade this year. He has joined the cross country team and is also joining the middle school band. It is fun to watch him excel at what he does and he already has a reputation with the staff at the school of being a well grounded and polite young man (my teachers would say he must get that from his mother).
Jacob has been dying for school to start ever since we got here. He is a social and busy boy and cannot wait to get tied into the local sports leagues. Joli is a little nervous for school to start. Walla Walla has all day kindergarten and it will be taxing for her to be away from Mom for so long at first. Pray for courage and understanding on her part. Karen and I are excited to see how Olivia will blossom being the oldest in the house while her brothers and sister are in school. She is a helper and very friendly to her youngest brother. Lastly, Alexander! Any of you who have been around him, knows he is a smiler. He is growing like a weed and eating all the watermelon he can get his hands on.
Let me end this update with a big thank you. Thank you for the prayers. Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for the notes on Facebook and the letters sent. Those are the small things that pick us up when we need a little prodding. Karen, our kids and I appreciate all that you have done for our ministry here in Walla Walla. Blessings!
